Who wants to be a Millionaire - Books Guide Software

What’s it about ?

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire debuted in the United Kingdom in September 1998. The series was a big hit there and still is — hitting a ratings high of 19 million viewers. It gave the opportunity for contestants playing the game to win a maximum top prize of upto 1 million pounds by answering 15 questions with increasing difficulty. It premiered in the United States on ABC on August 16, 1999, where it averaged about 29 million viewers per night in the 1999. Since then it has gained tremendous popularity and is practically hosted in most countries in the world. The Top prize amount and currency vary depending on country hosted in.

The General Rules

To qualify to become a contestant on the Syndicated Program individuals generally must go through an audition process in the form of phone calls followed by oral/written test.

Selected Contestants from the Contestant Pool are invited to appear as Contestants to play the game on the Program. Starting with a “Fastest Finger” round qualifier where the contestants have to swiftly press the correct button(s) to answer a single multiple choice question. The winner of the fastest Finger round is then eligible to win up to One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) by correctly answering up to fifteen (15) multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. (The Top Prize Amount and currency may vary depending on country hosted in).

All Contestants are asked up to fifteen (15) multiple choice questions designed to be of increasing difficulty. Contestants must choose the most correct answer choice of the four (4) possible answer choices provided. Each question has an assigned dollar value that increases in amount from One Hundred Dollars ($100) to One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) in accordance with the prize table. If a Contestant answers all fifteen (15) questions correctly, he/she wins One Million Dollars ($1,000,000). Contestants can stop at any time and collect the winnings already earned. If a Contestant answers a question incorrectly, he/she is eliminated from the Game and will lose a portion of the winnings earned in accordance with the prefixed prize table. The question and answer choices are displayed to the Game Contestant on a monitor and are read out loud by the host. After the host has read each question and the corresponding answer choices, the Contestant is given the chance to continue to play or quit and take the winnings earned to that point. If the Contestant elects to continue, the Contestant can proceed by: a) selecting an answer; b) using one (1) or more of the available lifelines or c) changing his/her mind and electing to stop Game play.

There are three (3) lifelines that Contestants can use for assistance during Game play. Contestants can use multiple lifelines to answer any single question; however, each lifeline can only be used once. The three (3) lifelines are:

Fifty-Fifty - The Contestant asks to have the computer eliminate two (2) of the possible answer choices, leaving the Contestant a choice of two (2) answers [one (1) of which is the correct answer] from which to select. The Contestant then has the choice of selecting an answer, quitting the Game or using another lifeline, if available.

Ask the Audience - The Contestant asks the studio audience which answer they believe is correct. Members of the studio audience indicate their choices by pressing the key on their keypad corresponding to the correct answer. The Contestant then has the choice of selecting an answer, quitting the Game or using another lifeline, if available.

Phone-A-Friend - Contestants may call one (1) of up to five (5) pre-arranged friends. Phone-a-friends are generally not allowed to use cellular phones. Individuals participating as phone-a-friends are generally allowed to only two (2) times within each broadcast season (determined in Game Sponsor's sole discretion). The Contestant must provide the five (5) friends' names and phone numbers in advance. The friend has thirty (30) seconds to select an answer. The Contestant then has the choice of selecting an answer, quitting the Game or

using another lifeline, if available.

Contestants in the Game have the opportunity to change their answers until either a) the host asks if the answer is the final answer and the Contestant indicates an affirmative response to the host's question, or b) the Contestant says, unprompted, that the answer given is his/her final answer. Once the Contestant has indicated that his/her answer is final either by his/her own statement or by an affirmative response to the host's question (determined in the judge's sole discretion), the answer is final and cannot be changed.

The General Prize Table Structure

Question	Correct Answer $ Value *	Incorrect Answer $ Value *
1	100	0
2	200	0
3	300	0
4	500	0
5	1,000	0
6	2,000	1,000
7	4,000	1,000
8	8,000	1,000
9	16,000	1,000
10	32,000	1,000
11	64,000	32,000
12	125,000	32,000
13	250,000	32,000
14	500,000	32,000
15	1,000,000	32,000

* ( Prize amounts and currency may vary depending on country hosted )

THE FACTS

Where did the show originate?
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire debuted in the United Kingdom in September 1998. The series was a big hit there and still is — hitting a ratings high of 19 million viewers. It premiered in the United States on ABC on August 16, 1999, where it averaged about 29 million viewers per night in the year 1999.-

Who has been the fastest person in the Fastest Finger round?
Shannon McGehee of San Diego, California, set a world record of .87 seconds to answer the Fastest-Finger question on January 12, 2000. The question involved putting Elizabeth Taylor's husbands in order according to the dates she married them.

Is the Millionaire show versions the same around the world?
Yes, but sometimes there are unexpected twists. For example, in the Russian version of the show, Ask-the-Audience Lifeline is often not very helpful because the Russian studio audience tries to give contestants the wrong answers.

In which country has Millionaire broken all television records?
The program has broken all television records in India. What's more, the Indian host, Amitabh Bachchan, a Bollywood legend, has made history by becoming the first Indian actor to be immortalized with a wax work figure at the famous tourist attraction Madame Tussaud's in London.

Has any country won awards for Millionaire?
German host Ghnther Jauch has enjoyed huge success, picking up the Deutschen Frensehpreis, The Goldene Henne, and Goldene Kamera Awards. Now he has added the Bayerische Fersehpreis Award for Male TV Presenter of the Year to the list. The U.S. version of Millionaire picked up its second Emmy for Outstanding Game Show, and host Regis Philbin won an Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host. In Greece, Millionaire picked up two awards at the famous TV ETHNOS awards show.

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